Image forming apparatus having peel-off units

Abstract

An image forming apparatus includes an image carrier, a first peel-off unit whose end portion is in contact with the image carrier and that peels off a recording medium from the image carrier, and a second peel-off unit whose end portion is not in contact with the image carrier and that peels off a recording medium from the image carrier. The second peel-off unit is disposed in such a way that the end portion thereof is located at a position that is the same as or upstream of a position of the end portion of the first peel-off unit in a rotation direction of the image carrier, and the second peel-off unit is movable so that the end portion thereof moves away from the image carrier.

What is claimed is: 
     
       1. An image forming apparatus comprising:
 an image carrier that rotates while carrying an unfixed image to be transferred to a recording medium, wherein the image carrier is an image carrier belt that rotates while being supported by a roller, and the image carrier partially contacts the roller; 
 a first peel-off unit whose end portion is in contact with the image carrier and that peels off the recording medium from the image carrier; and 
 a second peel-off unit whose end portion is not in contact with the image carrier and that peels off the recording medium from the image carrier, 
 wherein the second peel-off unit is disposed in such a way that the end portion thereof is located at a position that is the same as or upstream of a position of the end portion of the first peel-off unit in a rotation direction of the image carrier, and the second peel-off unit is movable so that the end portion thereof moves away from the image carrier, 
 wherein the end portion of the first peel-off unit and the end portion of the second peel-off unit do not overlap with each other in an axial direction of the image carrier. 
 
     
     
       2. The image forming apparatus according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the second peel-off unit is movable independently from the first peel-off unit. 
 
     
     
       3. The image foil ling apparatus according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the second peel-off unit is moved by being pushed by the recording medium that is peeled off by the first peel-off unit. 
 
     
     
       4. The image forming apparatus according to  claim 2 ,
 wherein the second peel-off unit is moved by being pushed by the recording medium that is peeled off by the first peel-off unit. 
 
     
     
       5. The image forming apparatus according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein, when the second peel-off unit is pushed by the recording medium that is peeled off by the first peel-off unit, the second peel-off unit is moved so as to expand a space between the second peel-off unit and the first peel-off unit. 
 
     
     
       6. The image forming apparatus according to  claim 2 ,
 wherein, when the second peel-off unit is pushed by the recording medium that is peeled off by the first peel-off unit, the second peel-off unit is moved so as to expand a space between the second peel-off unit and the first peel-off unit. 
 
     
     
       7. The image forming apparatus according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the second peel-off unit swings on a pivot in a direction such that the end portion thereof moves away from the image carrier, the pivot being a support shaft that is disposed in a part of the second peel-off unit behind the end portion of the second peel-off unit. 
 
     
     
       8. The image forming apparatus according to  claim 2 ,
 wherein the second peel-off unit swings on a pivot in a direction such that the end portion thereof moves away from the image carrier, the pivot being a support shaft that is disposed in a part of the second peel-off unit behind the end portion of the second peel-off unit. 
 
     
     
       9. The image forming apparatus according to  claim 3 ,
 wherein the second peel-off unit swings on a pivot in a direction such that the end portion thereof moves away from the image carrier, the pivot being a support shaft that is disposed in a part of the second peel-off unit behind the end portion of the second peel-off unit. 
 
     
     
       10. The image forming apparatus according to  claim 4 ,
 wherein the second peel-off unit swings on a pivot in a direction such that the end portion thereof moves away from the image carrier, the pivot being a support shaft that is disposed in a part of the second peel-off unit behind the end portion of the second peel-off unit. 
 
     
     
       11. The image forming apparatus according to  claim 5 ,
 wherein the second peel-off unit swings on a pivot in a direction such that the end portion thereof moves away from the image carrier, the pivot being a support shaft that is disposed in a part of the second peel-off unit behind the end portion of the second peel-off unit. 
 
     
     
       12. The image forming apparatus according to  claim 6 ,
 wherein the second peel-off unit swings on a pivot in a direction such that the end portion thereof moves away from the image carrier, the pivot being a support shaft that is disposed in a part of the second peel-off unit behind the end portion of the second peel-off unit. 
 
     
     
       13. The image forming apparatus according to  claim 7 ,
 wherein, when the second peel-off unit swings on the pivot that is the support shaft, the second peel-off unit swings to a position such that the end portion thereof allows passage of the recording medium that is peeled off by the first peel-off unit. 
 
     
     
       14. The image forming apparatus according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the end portion of the second peel-off unit is located at a position that is downstream, in the rotation direction of the image carrier, of a position on the image carrier where a leading end of the recording medium starts to be peeled off from the image carrier. 
 
     
     
       15. The image forming apparatus according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the first peel-off unit and the second peel-off unit are disposed with an interval therebetween in a rotation-axis direction of the image carrier. 
 
     
     
       16. The image forming apparatus according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein a number of the second peel-off unit is two, and the two second peel-off units are disposed on both sides of the first peel-off unit in a rotation-axis direction of the image carrier. 
 
     
     
       17. The image forming apparatus according to  claim 14 ,
 wherein the end portion of the first peel-off unit is located at a position of a terminal point of a part of the image carrier belt that is wound around the roller or at a position that is upstream, in the rotation direction of the image carrier belt, of the terminal point, wherein the terminal point is an end point of a contact region between the part of the image carrier belt and the roller. 
 
     
     
       18. The image forming apparatus according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a restraining unit that stops the second peel-off unit at a position such that a distance from the image carrier to the end portion of the second peel-off unit is maintained and that holds the second peel-off unit at the position, 
 wherein the restraining unit is capable of changing the position at which the restraining unit stops and holds the second peel-off unit. 
 
     
     
       19. The image forming apparatus according to  claim 1 ,
 wherein the first peel-off unit and the second peel-off unit are each swingable on a pivot in directions such that the end portion thereof moves toward and away from the image carrier, the pivot being a support shaft that is common to the first peel-off unit and the second peel-off unit and that is disposed in a rear part of each of the first peel-off unit and the second peel-off unit, 
 wherein the image forming apparatus includes a first urging unit that urges the first peel-off unit in the direction toward the image carrier and a second urging unit that urges the second peel-off unit in the direction toward the image carrier, and 
 wherein an urging force of the second urging unit is weaker than an urging force of the first urging unit, and the urging force of the second urging unit allows the second peel-off unit to swing in the direction away from the image carrier when the second peel-off unit is pushed by the recording medium that is peeled off by the first peel-off unit. 
 
     
     
       20. The image forming apparatus according to  claim 1 , further comprising:
 a guide unit that guides the recording medium that is peeled off by the second peel-off unit, in a direction in which the recording medium moves away from the second peel-off unit, at a position on a rear side of the first peel-off unit or the second peel-off unit.